Susan Strebeck looks at a tree that landed on the roof of her home in Hazelwood, Mo., after a storm blew through the area on April 10.

By John Newland and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News

A forceful storm system whipped tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across Missouri and Arkansas late Wednesday, wrecking homes, downing power lines and injuring multiple people in both states.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency as the severe storm system that he said included tornadoes walloped suburbs west and southwest of St. Louis. Read full story

Danny Johnston / AP

Larry Gammill, left, who attends Botkinburg Foursquare Church, and his friend Tim Parks walk in front of what is left of the church in Botkinburg, Ark., on April 11, 2013, after a severe storm struck the building the night before.

David Carson / Post-Dispatch via AP

A damaged home in Hazelwood, Mo., on April 10.

David Carson / Post-Dispatch via AP

A car lays on its side in Hazelwood, Mo., after a storm blew through the area on April 10.